Editorial written by The Miami Herald Editorial Board
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest online ad attacking Donald Trump is a bizarre juxtaposition of subtle homoerotic references, alpha-male aspirations, an allusion to a serial-killer movie character — all wrapped in the homophobia that has permeated the Florida governor’s policies on LGBTQ+ issues.
The video posted on Twitter by the account DeSantis War Room shows the presidential candidate’s worst political impulses. The insulting hodgepodge of footage, memes, news clips, and pop-culture references seeks to portray Trump as too supportive of LGBTQ+ rights.
It prompted backlash from Democrats and some conservatives, including Log Cabin Republicans, which describes itself as the nation’s largest organization for LGBTQ+ conservatives and allies.
Trailing Trump in national presidential polls, DeSantis is proof that desperation can turn a man seeking the highest office in this country into a childish provocateur proud of his own bigotry.
Unfortunately, it’s not a stretch to believe that, were this 1963 instead of 2023, DeSantis would appeal to racist fears of desegregated lunch counters and classrooms.
The DeSantis ad was posted Friday, on the same day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a web designer who refused to create wedding websites for same-sex couples.
The video came with the tagline: “To wrap up ‘Pride Month,’ let’s hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it.”
It opens with Trump proclaiming, “I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens.” Footage then shows Trump telling an interviewer that he would allow Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympic athlete who came out as transgender, to use the bathroom of her choice at Trump Tower.
DeSantis almost makes Trump sound reasonable. If it weren’t for Trump’s dismantling of Obama-era federal protections for LGBTQ+ people — and his pick of a religious zealot as his vice president — we might have been persuaded that the former president is the candidate for all Americans.
The video then pivots to DeSantis with red laser beams shooting out of his eyes. An image pops up for a split second of the title character in the movie “American Psycho,” about a 1980s yuppie who moonlights as a serial killer.
There’s a shot of Brad Pitt in the movie “Troy,” dressed as Achilles. The hero in Homer’s “Iliad” was portrayed in some Greek texts as having a homosexual relationship with his male companion.
The video also shows photos of shirtless muscle men, including an oiled body builder. One of those images is a famous meme called “Gigachad,” a man with a chiseled jaw and ripped abs who’s supposed to portray the perfect human.
Text flashes on the screen: “DeSantis signs most extreme slate of anti-trans laws in modern history.” Another one reads: “DeSantis is public enemy No. 1,” followed by video of him laughing with gusto. A commentator talks about his laws “threatening trans existence.”
The ad ends with footage of him dressed as a Top Gun commander, part of one of his 2022 reelection commercials.
It looks like DeSantis is trying to project the persona of a toxic macho man who denigrates and threatens LGBTQ+ Americans, the classic bully who will use his power to dehumanize people.
Or perhaps a liberal Gen Z intern infiltrated the DeSantis camp to make that macho persona look dubious with the insertion of imagery that seems straight out of a gay magazine.
The video drew numerous interpretations online, ranging from outrage to mockery.
DeSantis faces a near 30-point gap in the average of national polls in the 2024 GOP primary, according to FiveThirtyEight. To sway conservative voters away from Trump, DeSantis has moved to the political right, but also into the gutter. Selling outrage, more than solutions to real problems, is his tactic.
Florida’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws such as “Don’t say gay,” which banned classroom instructions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, might have given Florida Republicans an out — and unauthentic one, we may add — to say, “We don’t hate LGBTQ+ people, we just want to protect kids or parental rights.”
DeSantis’ latest attempt to use homophobia to garner votes makes it clear he’s banking on hatred, ignorance, and prejudice on his muddy slog to the White House.
